


Brevity is the Soul of Wit

by NoxDelta



Series: 2B or Not [2]
Category: Undertale
Genre: F/M, Miscommunication, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Romance, Sexual Content, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-02-08
Updated: 2017-02-07
Packaged: 2018-09-22 19:59:05
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,743
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9623204
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NoxDelta/pseuds/NoxDelta
Summary: The human world is new, strange and more trouble than anyone could have predicted. For his brother, Sans will try to make the best of it; even if it means dealing with the human who lives in their attic.(Sans's experiences and POV during the events of Be All My Sins Remembered.)





	

**Author's Note:**

> To everyone who has waited for 2B's story to be updated, I can't thank you guys enough~ You've all been really patient with me, and the only excuse I can give is that things got pretty crazy for a few months. Rest assured that Be All My Sins Remembered will be updated shortly, and will be accompanied by this new story to give backstory to Sans's thinking and experiences in the human world. 
> 
> That said, please enjoy these excerpts~

The human world was... not what Sans had expected.

Without the restrictions of a finite living space, it seemed humans liked to build massive structures. Ebott City’s core was dotted with tall, looming buildings named “skyscrapers” that put even the royal palace to shame. Crowds of people weaved their way in and around the streets, and it looked like nothing so much as the workings of a massive computer.

He’d thought, once monsters returned to the surface, that the shock of their return might have more of an impact. That the humans would struggle to accommodate monsters and their strange magic, and certainly, there were a few groups that protested. On the whole, though, once humans understood that monster’s weren’t a threat, they seemed...content to just ignore them.

Like a river sweeping away the ripples of a few small stones.

It was this thought that nagged at him while Toriel and Frisk led them through Ebott City’s large union station. Children younger than Frisk stared at them pass with confusion and awe. Their parents did an admirable job of hushing their exclamations and shooing them along, but it was still hard not to feel a bit like an animal in a zoo. Papyrus barely noticed; he was too busy pointing out every restaurant in the concourse and marveling at the escalators.

“OH, WOWEE! WHAT DOES THAT PLACE SELL?” Papyrus grabbed his arm and gestured to a storefront with glass windows and a dimly-lit atmosphere. White letters and a green, circular logo made up the sign on the front.

“It is a coffee shop.” Toriel answered, when Sans squinted at the name. “The humans here seem to love it, so much that it has become a morning ritual.” He could believe it; there was a line of humans from the cash register to the sidewalk. A young woman and man stood outside the door with aprons that matched the store’s green sign. The young man held a tray of plastic thimble-sized cups, and after a quick glance shared between them, the man stepped forward and offered the tray.

“Here; do you guys want to try some of our new recipe?” The young man smiled, and the noise that came out of Papyrus’s mouth could have shattered the glass windows.

“WH-WHA, REALLY?” He gasped. In an instant, Papyrus was looming over the startled employee with his hands clasped. “FOR FREE?”

“U-uh, yeah.” The human lifted one of the plastic thimbles and Papyrus took it carefully. “Just be careful, it’s a bit hot.”

Toriel and Frisk approached the human and his tray of samples too, and with a shrug, Sans could do no less. It wasn’t as if the nearby shoppers weren’t already throwing up their eyebrows; not at he and Paps, but at Frisk with their small hand clutching at Toriel’s.

“Oh, here you go, dear.” Toriel plucked one up from the tray, and was about to kneel down and offer it to Frisk when the other employee inhaled sharply.

“A-ah, wait!” She protested, and Toriel paused in confusion. “Um, ma’am, that’s espresso; it’s a bit too caffeinated for a child.”

The humans didn’t notice, but Sans did; Toriel visibly paled.

“Caffeinated? Is that... is it something bad?” She asked. The human woman looked at the one holding the tray for a moment before shaking her head.

“It’s... well, caffeine is fine for adults, and even kids in small doses, but it’s not good for kids in this concentration.”

Toriel put the cup back with a regal, controlled grace that Sans only saw in two instances; when she was angry, or when she was nervous. In this case he had a good feeling it was the latter.

“I see. Thank you for telling me.” She offered a warm, well-practiced smile and squeezed Frisk’s hand. The woman appeared to think for a moment before brightening.

“Here, wait a moment; I’ll get something else for you.” She said, and squeezed past the line of customers and into the dim storefront. The remaining human shuffled on his feet, and it was clear he felt a bit intimidated on his own.

“guess she’s gotta go coffee up something from the menu, huh?” Sans drawled, and Toriel snorted while Papyrus scowled in disgust. The human, to his credit, cracked a smile and the mood lightened.

The human woman returned with a cup of iced tea for Frisk, who took it with a polite nod and a thumbs up. Toriel was all grace and smiles, but there was a tightness to her face that Sans recognized.

The two humans waved as their little group left and fell back into the flow of people. Papyrus’s excitement was palpable, and he kept stopping to demand Frisk’s attention. Human substances didn’t much affect monsters, but Sans was beginning to wonder about this “caffeine” thing anyway. If the baggy-eyed, miserable-looking travelers with green cups were anything to go by... well, maybe he should keep an eye on his energetic brother.

“c’mon paps, we’re gonna miss the train at this rate.” Sans thumbed in the direction of the staircase leading to the tracks, and both Papyrus and Frisk scowled at him from the entryway to a toy store.

“SANS, YOU ONLY WANT TO NAP.” Papyrus declared, and Frisk nodded in that sagely way of theirs until Toriel gave them both a look.

“Sans is right; we arrived early so we could look around, but we have a schedule to keep. Come along.” Her tone brokered no arguments, and so the two of them reluctantly trotted behind. Sans took up the rear to keep the two from wandering off again.

It took some convincing to get Papyrus settled into his seat on the train. First he bombarded one of the security attendants with questions about how it all worked, and how far the train line reached, and just how many trains the station used. When the human’s patience wore thin and the last calls rang out, Sans had to drag him into the train car.

The scenery seemed to placate him somewhat, as the train pulled away from the station and snaked along the waterfront. Papyrus and Frisk claimed the window seats of their little section, which left Sans and Toriel seated across from each other.

“Well.” Toriel let out a long exhale that Sans could sympathize with. “That was... a tiring excursion.”

Sans slumped, his thick coat bunching around his neck. His eyesockets were already drooping. “dunno exactly what about ‘downtown’s' supposed to be down. seemed like a whole lot of ‘up’ and ‘fast’ and ‘loud’ to me.”

Toriel hummed her assent, gazing fondly at Frisk while they pointed out various sights to Papyrus. After a moment, though, her brows wrinkled and a frown twinged at her lips.

“I think I should get some books when we arrive.” She said.

Sans followed her line of sight, to Frisk and their excited expression. He caught her meaning.

“can never go wrong with a few books.” Sans agreed. “heck, i heard the university has some workshops for us newcomers. if you’re interested.”

“I think that would be nice.” Toriel folded her hands in lap and turned her face towards him again. “It would be fun to see where you and Papyrus will be studying, after all. Are you excited?”

Sans shrugged. “i’ve been through the textbooks and there ain’t a lot i didn’t know already. ‘course, it’ll be fun to freak out the students a little.”

“Sans.”

His grin widened at her toothless reprimand. “aw, i ain’t gonna be too hard on ‘em. i’m not the teacher, after all. I just might, y’know, demonstrate the nature of gravity in a practical setting.”

“Well, from what I understand, it’s rare for universities to accept teacher’s assistants without formal education.” Toriel said. “They must have been very impressed by your application.”

Sans’s mouth twitched. He wasn’t sure if the school was actually interested in his knowledge of quantum physics, or just wanted a chance to study his gravitational manipulation. He was inclined towards the latter, because Papyrus’s application was accepted shortly after; even when he nearly burned down the school’s kitchen during his interview.

Scholarships were all well and good, but he wasn’t about to let he or Papyrus become guinea pigs.

“they might be disappointed when i fall asleep in class.” Is how he ultimately responded, and Toriel sighed.

“Really, now. This is a chance to start over. A new world, a new home-” She pulled a booklet from her purse, depicting various houses. Some were crossed out, and she flipped to a page with one house circled in yellow. “- and a new life.”

There was a flicker of irritation in him at that. Sure, the sunlight is a great addition, and the space, but... it’s not a beginning. Not really. It’s a world where everything is already claimed, and legislated, and filled with people who would have preferred that monsters stay underground. Playing by their rules didn’t change that.

As seemed to be his fate, though, he kept his mouth shut.

“well, i could always write a book about anti-gravity.” Sans switched gears, and Toriel blinked.

“Oh? You want to write a book?”

“sure.” His grin widened. “they wouldn’t be able to put it down.”

She guffawed loudly, which drew Frisk’s attention away from the window. They settled against Toriel’s side and kicked their legs back and forth underneath the seat.

“S’gonna be fun.” They said, and their eyes caught his firmly. Not for the first time Sans was reminded of how... astute, Frisk could be. It sounded like they were reassuring him, and he could only smile back and shrug.

“OH, YES!” Papyrus flopped backwards and Sans was jolted in his seat. “SANS FOUND US A LOVELY PLACE NEAR OUR SCHOOL!”

“And you two are sure that you don’t need anything?” Toriel asked. “You didn’t bring much with you from Snowdin, after all...”

“eh, you know me and my shortcuts.” Sans winked at Frisk, who snorted. “still got a house full of socks and stuff if we need it.”

The conversation fell into cheerful banter after that, with Papyrus listing all of the groceries they’d need to pick up after they arrived and Toriel fussing over paint colours. For all of his concerns, Sans had to admit that the monsters around him seemed a lot happier to be topside.

And if it made Papyrus happy, well, he could put up with a heck of a lot.


End file.
